Indonesia's rain-averting shamans back in business after pandemic hiatus

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Seated cross-legged amid a fog of incense and platters of fragrant offerings, dishes of red chillies, garlic bulbs and frangipani petals, Indonesian shaman Ki Joko Sapu-Jagat prepares at home the night before his first day back on the job.

After a months-long interruption, Indonesia's rain shamans who conduct ceremonies to keep rain away, are back in business, with large-scale events now permitted under eased coronavirus restrictions.

In a nation that experiences sudden monsoon downpours for months each year, these rain shamans are often hired to keep weddings, concerts, and even government events rain-free. Ki Joko's first day back on the job involved an outdoor wedding in Bekasi, West Java, attended by 400 people, on a day when the weather forecast predicted storms and a 75% chance of rain.

Ki Joko comes from an ancestral line of Balinese rain shamans, and has been a "pawang hujan" for decades, picking up the craft from his mother in his late teens.

 

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